Skip to main content

York Country Day headed to finals


MIDDLETOWN – York Country Day will defend its District 3 Class 1A boys' basketball title after defeating Mt. Calvary 83-41 in a semifinal Monday night.

The Greyhounds (18-4) will play Lancaster County Christian, a 53-32 winner over West Shore Christian in the other semi at Middletown High School, at Giant Center at 4:30 p.m. Thursday.

York Country Day put the game well out of reach in the first half, starting with three first-quarter 3-point baskets by Jordan Ray. Two of the three treys were from two steps behind the arc, and the last of them put the Greyhounds up 17-8 after the first quarter.

“Jordan got us going a little bit from the 3-point line,” York Country Day head coach Chris Charleston said. “We had other guys who can shoot too. It's not just him.”

And Ray was not just shooting from deep, either. He turned to shorter shots and transition baskets in the second quarter, added five hoops for ten more points while his team took a 44-18 lead into halftime.

Jalen Gorham added eight points in the 27-point second period.

Ray finished with a career-high 32 points and four 3-point shots, despite the last 10 minutes of the game being shortened by the mercy rule. DeAireus Brown added 16, which included two treys of his own. Gorham scored 12 and D.J. Hamilton had 10.

“You really can't focus on just one kid,” Charleston said. “Not just from the 3-point line, but off of the drive too.”

The Greyhounds took advantage of 10 first half turnovers by the Chargers (17-9) to build their 26-point advantage at intermission. They continued to take the ball away and go coast-to-coast in the third period, forcing nine more turnovers and taking a 41-point lead late in the period to incur the mercy rule.

“We played well. I thought we got into transition well and that's our game,” Charleston said.

Brown also had 16 rebounds, leading York Country Day to a 39-25 advantage on the glass. The Greyhounds also had the advantage in takeaways, 20-11.

After the game, cheers from the Greyhounds' locker room could be heard down the hallway as the they began focusing on Thursday's title game.

“Lancaster County Christian is well coached,” Charleston said. “They do a lot of things well. We will have to make sure we tighten things up on the defensive side.”

Last year, York Country Day beat Greenwood 56-44 in the district final.

Jack LaChance led Mt. Calvary with 15 points. Wyatt Hawthorne had six rebounds and two blocked shots in the loss. The Chargers will face West Shore Christian in the third-place game at Lower Dauphin at 5 p.m. Wednesday.

If you go

What: District 3 Class 1A boys' basketball championship game
Who: York Country Day (18-4) vs. Lancaster County Christian (20-4)
When: 4:30 p.m. Thursday
Where: Giant Center, Hershey 
Live: Follow live updates at GameTimePA.com.